“What’s the point?” I sometimes ask myself. It’s such an uncertain world out there. I mean, “It all looks so bleak. Why should I even bother to try to move forward in life or my career? Why should I try to improve my circumstances when I don’t think it will lead to anywhere? Why should I try anything in this crazy, uncertain, unpredictable and difficult environment?”

Over the last few years as I have worked through trying to deal with uncertainty of life, the unpredictability of a career, chaos at work and the complex nature of things, I have come to some realizations that have helped me to keep going and move forward in life.

For me, embrace the chaos means: to accept the uncertainty of life and move forward anyway! Take action despite not knowing how things will turn out. To stop over-thinking, stop over-analyzing, stop trying to predict. To go ahead, take action, move forward in life, move forward in a new career, take new action, start a new business, get into a new relationship and stop over thinking whether or not it will work.

But self-doubt arises in all of us. No matter how strong we might be, the question of WHY always comes up:

Why should I embrace the chaos? Here are my own reasons to get unstuck and move forward in life…

12 Reasons to Embrace the Chaos Next Year!

1. Accepting the chaos of life is better than trying to fight it

Life has always been in unpredictable and full of uncertainty. We just didn’t realize it. Accept it. Don’t fight it. Accepting the reality of our world today is the most important way to learn to live in it. Let go of your ego. Let go of trying to force order and perfection to an imperfect life full of ups and downs and uncertainty. Often, stress, anxiety and tension occurs when you fight hard to change something you cannot change. You can’t control the chaos. You can only change you… your thoughts and your actions. And that’s really good news… to focus on what you CAN control… you!

2. You cannot predict the future

Uncertainty about how things will turn out tomorrow holds a lot of us back from pursuing our life ambitions, relationships or business ideas. We waste so much time trying to make sure the path we take is the “right one,” when the reality is that there is no right path… just the one you’re on! No one knows what’s going to happen tomorrow. That’s a good thing in some respects because the walls around us are malleable and move constantly. You and I have just as good a shot as anyone at success and happiness. Stop trying to figure out the future and CREATE moments by working towards your purpose in the here and now. This moment right now is the only one you can be certain of.

3. You will feel better doing than not doing

Taking a step forward in any direction makes you feel like you have some level of control of your life. When you take action, you stop over thinking and get less anxious because in some sense, you are creating your own future in the here and now. You get a rush when you’re consumed with activity geared towards pursuing a goal, irrespective of how tough the goal. You feel like you’re in charge again because you are… of your thoughts and your actions. The positive energy generated by movement of hands and body in forward motion towards the pursuit of a higher purpose, a life-long trip, a business goal or to raise a child, is often what keeps us energetic, youthful and feel alive.

4. One thing always leads to another

Like a stone thrown into a pond of water, somehow one tiny little step forward puts in motion other pieces, rippling away, leading you to places, people and opportunities that you can never have imagined. You didn’t get to where you are right now by your perfectly laid out plans years ago. So many of us arrived where we are through the zig zag motion of life, through stepping stones that were laid out all over the place. Some of the greatest things in your life right now, came to you by chance, randomness and luck.

5. You will become a better person… faster, stronger, leaner and sharper

The mind is a muscle and like any muscle sometimes the mind needs resistance and tension to grow and develop as much as it needs nourishment and positive energy. Use the chaos of life to learn and develop. Adversity forces you to dig down deep inside to make you rediscover your inner strength or to fire synapsis in your brain that create new learnings. Moving forward in uncertainty forces the potential energy that is already within you to come out.

6. You are resilient and know how to adapt

You don’t know what real strength lies within unless you’re put in a situation that forces you to bring it out. You have an innate ability deep within to adapt and improvise to our new environment. You can handle it because your DNA has gone through a history of difficult times and has progressed ever since. As human beings, we have this awesome ability to persevere in really difficult times with nothing more than what you’ve been given: an able body and a strong mind. The resiliency inside all of is dormant but kicks in when you move forward in life.

7. You are meant for bigger things

Within each of us lies a potential for great things. Think about the possibility of becoming who you really want to become… a better parent, a more successful business person who creates jobs for many, a better spouse or partner or simply contribute more to society. This great person will never be realized unless you take steps to move forward in life and do something different… to accept the chaos and move forward anyway. All of us are meant to create positive impact to all those around us, in our own unique way.